U.S. suppliers have exported approximately 30,000 barrels of fuel to Cuba’s private sector this year to date, according to documents and shipping data seen by Reuters. This suggests that the U.S. government’s plan to give private businesses a leg up over state-run enterprises is well underway.
Since January, the U.S. has been enforcing a de facto oil blockade against its long-standing foe in a bid to starve Cuba of fuel and pressure its government into submission. However, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has made an exception for Cuba’s small but vital private sector.
No Fuel In 3 Months
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said authorising those fuel exports fits with a broader U.S. government policy “entirely designed to put the private sector and individual private Cubans – not affiliated with the government, not affiliated with the military – in a privileged position.”
The volume of fuel imported since early February by the private sector—approximately 30,000 barrels or 1.27 million gallons (4.8 million litres)—is equivalent to just over one-tenth of a typical medium-sized fuel tanker’s capacity, which is only a fraction of the country’s needs.
Until recently, Cuba required about 100,000 barrels per day of imported fuel to feed its power plants and meet regular demands from vehicles and jets.
Since Washington captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, the U.S. has blocked Venezuelan oil supplies to the Cuban government and threatened to slap tariffs on any other country that ships fuel to the island.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said last week the island had not received any fuel in three months. He did not refer to the private sector supplies.
Tight Control On Private Sector Imports
The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security released guidance authorising exports and re-exports of U.S. gas and petroleum products to eligible Cuban private-sector entities.
Cuba’s government, meanwhile, said it would allow private micro, small, and medium-sized companies, known as MIPYMES, to import fuel to ease the energy crisis. Cuban authorities have also developed safety rules to regulate private sector storage and dispatch of the newly arrived fuel, according to a Cuban government source.
Private companies are implementing tight controls to ensure the intent of the U.S. program is not violated, three business sources said. Commercial resale is not permitted.
The U.S. fuel exports to Cuba’s private firms come with a clear caveat.
“If we catch the private sector there playing games and diverting it to the regime or to the military company, if we find that they’re moving that stuff around in ways that violate the spirit and the scope of these permissions, those licenses will be cancelled,” Rubio said in February.
Public Sector Is Still Struggling
The imported fuel arrives primarily in ISO tanks that are designed to hold and transport approximately 21,600 litres of fuel safely on container ships, according to the documents seen by Reuters.
Around 200 such ISO-tanks have been discharged in Cuba, the documents show. The vast majority of the imports are diesel; only 1% of the tanks contained gasoline. Most originated from the United States, the shipping data shows.
In 2026, 61 container ships carrying a variety of products imported by private companies—including fuel—have discharged at Cuba, often ferrying between Cuban, U.S., European and other Caribbean ports.
Some Cuba-bound container ships departed from major energy hubs where products like coal, crude and refined products are loaded, although the majority of vessels that arrived in Cuba are categorised as multi-purpose.
The fresh flows have allowed businesses to keep operations intact despite the fuel blockade that has hit public transport, energy generation and tourism.
(With inputs from Reuters)
